Idaho defeats Montana State, Sacramento State for two Big Sky wins
As spring break was just beginning for students at Idaho, the men’s tennis team traveled to Spokane for two big games against Big Sky-foes Sacramento State and Montana State.
Friday pitted the Vandals against the Hornets of Sacramento State. Singles play was deadlocked at three victories and three losses for each team. Odon Barta took out Sean Kolar in the No. 1 singles match, while Cristobal Ramos Salazar was victorious in the No. 3 singles match against Kasparas Zemaitelis and Mark Kovacs won the No. 5 match against Ayman Abdulwahab.
Sacramento State took the No. 2 singles match, as Felipe Fonseca fell to the Hornet’s Roy Brandys. Jackson Varney fell in the No. 4 match and Alberto Sanz lost the No. 6 match.
Thanks to very dominate play by Varney, Ramos Salazar, Barta, and Fonseca in doubles, the Vandals were able to beat the Hornets. Varney and Ramos Salazar defeated Kolar and Brandys in the No. 1 doubles match, while Fonseca and Barta dispersed of Tom Miller and Joaquin Marquez in the No. 2 doubles match. Despite Kovacs and Sanz falling in the No. 3 doubles match to Zemaitelis and Christopher Clayton, Idaho still secured the win 4-3.
Montana State didn’t provide nearly as much competition the following day for Idaho, as the Vandals cruised to a 6-1 victory.
Barta won the No. 1 singles match over Andre Napoliatano of Montana State, while all other Idaho players were victorious in singles as well aside from Alberto Sanz at No. 6 singles. Fonseca defeated Niklas Brades in the No. 2 match, Ramos Salazar won the No. 3, Varney the No. 4 over Kellen Bates, and Kovacs won the No. 5 match against Harry James.
The one win over Sanz in the No. 6 singles match by Dylan Harvala of Montana State would end up being the only time the Bobcats won all day. Doubles play was a three match sweep for Idaho, as Varney and Ramos Salazar won the No. 1 singles match, Fonseca and Barta the No. 2, and the pair of Kovacs and Sanz defeated Napoliatano and Harvala in the No. 3 match.
The two wins put Idaho’s record at 10-4.
Ben Evensen can be reached at [email protected]